Greninja is officially the Pokemon of the Year, winning a fan-voted competition held by Google and The Pokemon Company. The Generation VI Pokemon beat out a host of competition including Lucario, Mimikyu, and Charizard, with the series’ mascot Pikachu nowhere to be seen on the list.
Google held the competition across 10 days, allowing fans to vote for their favorite Pokemon in each region. By Googling ‘Pokemon Vote,’ fans could contribute to the event, without the results having been revealed by the search engine today.
Greninja was perhaps a surprising winner for the competition, as many had anticipated that a Kanto-region Pokemon such as Charizard would top the list. However, Charizard didn’t even come in the top three, while Pikachu was entirely absent from the top 10 despite being the face of the franchise. Eevee also didn’t make the cut, even though two of its evolutions did, despite it arguably serving as the series’ secondary mascot following the success of Pokemon Let’s Go! Pikachu and Let’s Go! Eevee.
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Lucario came in at number two, while Mimikyu was another surprising runner-up. Eevee evolutions Umbreon and Sylveon also made an appearance in the list, along with Garchomp, Sayquaza, Gardevoir, and Gengar.
The full top 10 can be viewed below:
- Greninja
- Lucario
- Mimikyu
- Charizard
- Umbreon
- Sylveon
- Garchomp
- Rayquaza
- Gardevoir
- Gengar
The announcement video can also be viewed below:
Additionally, The Pokemon Company revealed a brand new mythical Pokemon in the form of Zarude, a “rogue monkey” that will make its way to Pokemon Sword and Shield. The description for Zarude reads: “When fighting, it swings around using trees and their branches, attacking relentlessly with its sharp claws or any other means it has. Its quick wit helps it excel in battles.”
